Liverpool stun City in late drama as Haaland fires, Salah answers – Live chaos

Liverpool and Man City trade blows in a wild 2-2 draw, Haaland scores again, Salah responds, and the title race goes crazy. Who really won tonight?

Kick-off! As of today, 2026-02-20, the pitch is on fire... You wanted chaos in soccer games, you got it. At Anfield, Liverpool and Manchester City just dropped a 2-2 thriller that felt like a Premier League final played in February. Erling Haaland scored, obviously. Mohamed Salah answered, obviously. But the real story? A late VAR twist, a missed sitter, and a title race that just went into full turbo mode.

Liverpool 2-2 Man City – Heavyweights trade punches

Anfield under the lights, rain in the air, and you could feel the tension in every touch. City struck first: in the 19th minute, Kevin De Bruyne slid a filthy through ball between the lines, and Erling Haaland did what he does – one touch out of his feet, second touch drilled low into the far corner. 0-1, and Alisson didn’t even bother complaining, he just stared at his defence.

Liverpool looked rattled for a bit, but then Mohamed Salah woke the whole stadium up. In the 33rd minute, Trent Alexander-Arnold clipped a diagonal ball, Darwin Núñez bullied Rúben Dias in the air, cushioned it down, and Salah smashed a left-foot volley past Ederson. 1-1, the place exploded. That’s what you pay to see in the Premier League live – big stars, big moments, no pause button.

After the break, City tried to quiet the crowd, and for a while it worked. In the 58th minute, De Bruyne swung in a corner, John Stones peeled off his marker and glanced a header into the far post. 1-2 to City, and it felt like one of those classic, clinical away wins they grind out in title seasons.

But Liverpool under Klopp never just fold. On 76 minutes, we got full drama. Núñez darted into the box, collided with Kyle Walker, and the referee initially waved play on. The Kop went ballistic. Then the VAR check started… full stadium standing still, every phone out. After what felt like forever, the ref went to the monitor and pointed to the spot. Penalty. City players furious, Guardiola laughing in that "I’m going to explode" way.

Mohamed Salah stepped up for the penalty and absolutely buried it into the top left. Ederson guessed the right way, zero chance. 2-2, Salah on a brace, and the top scorers today got a fresh twist – Haaland scores, but Salah keeps him in sight in the golden boot chase.

The last ten minutes were pure madness. Haaland nearly nicked it in stoppage time, latching onto a clipped ball from Bernardo Silva, but Alisson made a ridiculous one-handed save. Then, in the dying seconds, substitute Cody Gakpo had the winner on his foot after a loose touch from Manuel Akanji, but dragged his shot wide. The whistle goes, 2-2, and both sets of players just drop to the turf.

Heroes, flops, and the big-name check-in

• Erling Haaland: One chance, one goal, plus that late header that almost won it. Not a huge number of touches, but still pure menace. Definitely not a flop tonight.
• Mohamed Salah: Two goals, endless pressing, and dragged Liverpool back into it. When we talk about Champions League news or Ballon d’Or debates, nights like this are the evidence file.
• Kevin De Bruyne: Two assists, orchestrator of almost everything good for City. Faded slightly late on but still looked like he owned the tempo.
• Darwin Núñez: Chaos merchant. Assist for Salah’s first, won the penalty for the second, but also wasted a huge chance early in the second half. Fans will argue about him all night.

Elsewhere in Europe – Madrid, PSG & Champions League vibes

While Anfield was shaking, the rest of Europe wasn’t exactly napping. In La Liga, Real Madrid edged a 2-1 win over Real Betis at the Bernabéu. Jude Bellingham – of course – got the opener with a late run into the box on 27 minutes, finishing a low cross from Vinícius Júnior. Bellingham didn’t quite dominate the game like some of his early-season masterpieces, but when the moment appeared, he was there again.

Betis actually equalised in the 61st minute through Isco, who curled a peach from outside the box into the top corner, giving Andriy Lunin no chance. Madrid pushed harder, and in the 79th minute, it was Rodrygo who grabbed the winner, tapping in after Bellingham’s header was parried. Not vintage Madrid, but pure result-machine stuff – and that’s exactly what keeps them on top of the football league table in Spain.

In Ligue 1, Paris Saint-Germain cruised to a 3-0 win over Lille. Kylian Mbappé grabbed a brace – one penalty on 18 minutes, one blistering counter-attack finish on 54 – and Ousmane Dembélé added a third with a deflected strike late on. Mbappé looked in full "I’m the best player in the world" mode: stepovers, sprints, the whole show. With Champions League knockout rounds coming, this is exactly the kind of swagger PSG fans wanted to see.

What this does to the title race

Back to England, that 2-2 at Anfield is huge. City miss a chance to pull away at the top, Liverpool prove they’re not going anywhere, and somewhere in North London Arsenal are grinning. Two points dropped for Guardiola, one massive point earned for Klopp. The gap at the top squeezes, and every slip from now on feels fatal.

What does this mean for the title race? Click here for the live standings

If you’re obsessing over who’s top tonight, who’s sneaking into the top four, or who’s tumbling toward relegation, that live table is your best friend. Matches like Liverpool vs Man City don’t just give us highlight reels – they completely twist the maths of the season.

Social Media Spotlight – Anfield meltdown edition

My take: pressure, panic, and pure theatre

In my opinion, this felt like a title-decider without the trophy. City will spin it as "a point away at Anfield is fine", but you could see it in Guardiola’s body language at full-time – he knew they let Liverpool off the hook. When Haaland scores and De Bruyne is creating at will, you have to shut the door. They didn’t.

For Liverpool, this is massive psychologically. Salah looked like a leader, Núñez showed again that sometimes chaos is exactly what you need, and Anfield proved it still bends big games. Defensively, they’re still too open, and that might bite them later in the season, but if you’re talking about pure momentum, this felt like a win emotionally, even if the scoreboard says 2-2.

Zooming out, across Europe’s top soccer games today, the headline is simple: the big names turned up. Haaland scored, Salah scored, Bellingham scored, Mbappé scored. When your superstars all deliver on the same day, that’s how you know the run-in is about to go nuclear. The next Champions League nights are going to be ridiculous.

Final whistle – don’t blink now

If you’re not glued to the standings after this, you’re doing it wrong. The Premier League live picture has shifted, La Liga has Madrid grinding out wins, and PSG are warming up like they finally mean business in Europe. Every point, every goal, every VAR call from here on out is going to echo in the final table.

Check full stats & standings now

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